The National Marine Representatives Association (NMRA) presented the Mel Barr Award posthumously to Ted Hood, internationally heralded yachtsman, sail maker, yacht designer and builder. The award recognizes an individual who has contributed to the improvement of the industry and is named in the memory of marine rep Mel Barr, one of the founders of NMRA and its first president. Hood founded his first business, Hood Sailmakers, in 1955 and was the first sail maker to weave his own sailcloth. By the 1970s, his company had grown into a worldwide organization, even creating the sails for the America’s Cup winners from 1958 to 1977.